Australia Student Visa New Rules 2026 for Indian Students

Published 2026-10-25 · 8 min read · By the Travlys visa team

Australia's 2 October 2026 student visa rules restrict onshore applications, family members and provider switching. Here is what Indian students need to know, with current fees, funds and English scores.

Yes, Australia has tightened its student visa rules. From 2 October 2026, most people already in Australia on another temporary visa can no longer apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) onshore, most students can no longer include a partner or children, and nobody can add family after the visa is granted. If you are applying from India for your first course, you can still apply as before, but the visa now costs AUD 2,500 and you must show at least AUD 29,710 a year for living costs.

At a glance: New rules start: 2 October 2026. Applying from India: still allowed as before. Onshore applications: blocked for most temporary visa holders. Family members: only with an exemption, such as PhD study; never added later. Changing provider: you must stay 12 months in your main course first (up from 6). Visa fee: AUD 2,500 for the main applicant since 1 July 2026. Living costs to show: AUD 29,710 a year. English (tests from 7 August 2025): IELTS 6.0 or PTE 47. New student places: 295,000 for 2026 and 2027.

What changed on 2 October 2026

The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 changed who can apply for a Student visa while in Australia and who can come with you. The government says the aim is to stop "visa hopping" from visitor and work visas onto student visas.

You may need to be outside Australia to apply

If you hold any of these visas, you cannot apply for a Student visa while in Australia, and there are no exemptions:

• Visitor (600), ETA (601), eVisitor (651), Transit (771), Medical Treatment (602)
• Working Holiday (417), Work and Holiday (462)
• Skills in Demand (482), Temporary Work (400, 457), Training (407), Temporary Activity (408)
• Temporary Graduate (485)
• Maritime Crew (988), Domestic Worker (403), and primary Diplomatic (Temporary) holders (995)

Existing student visa holders are also affected. You can apply for another Student visa in Australia only if an exemption applies, for example:

• you need up to 12 more months to finish your main course with the same provider
• you have finished your main course and are moving up to a higher AQF level (a higher education graduate must move to another higher education course)
• you are starting a PhD (a Master's by Research does not count), or primary or secondary school
• you are sponsored by DFAT or the Department of Defence
• your provider has defaulted and cannot deliver your course

If you must apply from outside Australia, you must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. You will not get a bridging visa. Home Affairs warns that an application lodged onshore when you were not allowed to will be invalid, and an invalid application cannot go to review.

Family members: partner and children

You can no longer include your partner or dependent children in a Student visa application unless you are a PhD student, sponsored by DFAT or Defence, on a foreign government scholarship, or a national of a Pacific or ASEAN country. Indian students on ordinary self-funded courses do not fall into these groups.

You also cannot add family members after your visa is granted. Home Affairs says there are no exemptions to this rule. Families already together in Australia are protected: if your family was on your current Student visa and you are eligible to apply onshore, you may be able to include them in your next application. Everyone in the application must be in the same location when you lodge it.

Changing your education provider

From 2 October 2026, students other than school students must stay 12 months in their principal course before moving provider, up from six. From 1 July 2027, changing provider after arrival will need a new visa under a new transfer stream, granted before you start at the new provider. Transfers will only be allowed at the same AQF level or higher, so you can no longer come for a degree and switch to a VET course onshore.

If you applied before 2 October 2026

Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including ones that already included family members, are assessed under the old rules. A Student visa you already hold is not affected.

What the student visa costs now

Australia raised visa charges from 1 July 2026. For an Indian student, the base charge for the main applicant went from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500. Where family can still be included, the charge is AUD 1,530 for each person aged 18 or over and AUD 500 for each child under 18. A lower rate applies only to ASEAN, Pacific and Timor-Leste nationals and to English-only (ELICOS) or non-award courses. The fee you pay depends on the date Home Affairs receives your application.

Also budget for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your whole stay, biometrics, medicals and your English test. Missing OSHC details lead to refusal.

How much money you must show

Home Affairs can ask for proof of funds even if the Document Checklist Tool does not. At minimum you need:

• 12 months of course fees (or pro rata for a shorter course), less anything already paid
• AUD 29,710 for 12 months of your own living costs
• AUD 10,394 for a partner and AUD 4,449 for each child, where family can still come
• AUD 13,502 a year in school fees for each school-age child
• AUD 2,000 for travel if you are applying from India

Instead of savings, you can show that your parents or partner earned at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply, or AUD 102,500 if family members are coming. Parents' incomes can be combined, shown through official documents such as income tax assessments under 12 months old, not bank statements or employer letters. For an education loan, Home Affairs looks for evidence of disbursement, not just a sanction letter.

English test scores you need

For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the minimum overall scores are:

• IELTS Academic or General Training: 6.0
• PTE Academic: 47
• TOEFL iBT: 67. From 21 January 2026 you must select "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when you register, or the test will not count.

Lower scores are accepted if your main course is packaged with English classes: IELTS 5.5 (PTE 39) with at least 10 weeks of ELICOS or an eligible foundation or pathway program, and IELTS 5.0 (PTE 31) with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS. Universities often set higher scores than the visa minimum, so check your offer letter.

The Genuine Student requirement

Since 23 March 2024, every applicant must meet the Genuine Student (GS) requirement. In the online form you answer a set of questions, in English, with a 150-word limit each. They cover your current ties to family, community and work in India, why you chose this course and this provider, how the course will help you, and anything else relevant. There is an extra question if you have held a Student visa before.

Answers backed by documents carry more weight. Officers look at why you are not taking a similar course in India, study gaps, work history, expected salary after the course, and past visa refusals anywhere. Wanting permanent residence later does not count against you.

How many new students Australia will take

The government set a National Planning Level of 295,000 new international student commencements for 2026, and on 15 July 2026 confirmed the same 295,000 for 2027. Study Australia says this is a planning level, not a hard cap. Each provider gets an allocation. Applications for a provider are processed as priority until it reaches 80% of its allocation, then they are still accepted but processed more slowly. Offshore applications lodged from 14 November 2025 are handled under Ministerial Direction 115.

In practice, apply early, before your university nears its allocation.

Post-study work: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

Under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, Indian graduates in the Post-Higher Education Work stream get longer stays than most nationalities:

• Bachelor's degree (including honours): 2 years
• Bachelor's with first-class honours in STEM, including ICT: 3 years
• Master's (coursework, extended or research): 3 years
• PhD: 4 years

You must be 35 or under when you apply (under 50 if you use a research master's or PhD), have held a Student visa in the last six months, and apply in Australia. You need IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each part, or PTE 55 overall, taken in the 12 months before you apply. The visa charge rose to AUD 5,750 on 1 July 2026. The government has said similar restrictions on including family members will come to the 485 visa, with details still to be announced.

While you study, you can work up to 48 hours a fortnight when your course is in session. Research master's and PhD students have no work limit.

Who is affected most

• Little change: you are in India, applying alone for your first bachelor's or master's course.
• Route closed: you planned to enter on a visitor or Working Holiday visa and switch to a student visa.
• Big change: you are married or have children. Unless you are doing a PhD, they cannot come as your dependants.
• Check first: you are already studying in Australia and want to change course or provider.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Lodging onshore without an exemption. An invalid application can leave you without a visa.
• Showing a loan sanction letter without proof of disbursement.
• Copying a GS statement from the internet. Specific, documented answers work better.

How Travlys helps

Travlys files Australian visas from ₹4,950 (service fee; government fees extra). We check your documents against the current Home Affairs checklist, prepare your financial evidence and GS answers, and lodge your application. We have filed 5,000+ visas with a 98% approval rate. If you are already in Australia and your case depends on an onshore exemption, we will tell you to speak to a registered migration agent there first. WhatsApp us on +91 82009 18967.

Last checked: These rules were checked on 25 October 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs, the Federal Register of Legislation, Study Australia and the ministerial release listed below. Student visa settings are changing quickly in 2026, so confirm on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you pay any fee.